20th Anniversary
Introduction / Introducción
Essays / Ensayos
Jennifer Hilgert (DC' 95) Academic Year 1993–1994
When I received the request for stories and photographs of my time spent in Málaga, I immediately opened up my photo albums and took a wonderful journey down ‘memory lane’. As I looked at the photos of all of the different places we visited as a group and exciting things we did while there that year, I realized my best memories were of the people I spent time with while in Málaga.
I remember mid-year after the first semester had ended, calling home to talk with family about whether I should stay the second semester. Although the feelings of ‘missing home’ overwhelmed me, I felt even more convinced that I wanted to stay for the complete year. And I am so glad I did…. my second semester in Málaga was even better than the first, something I didn’t think was possible!
Who could imagine I would be living with a new family, seeing all of the best sights of Spain and the neighboring countries, watching bullfights, making wonderful friends…and all of this within one year!
My year spent in Málaga was one I will never forget and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate in the program.
Muchas Gracias!
Bethany Kehs '96 Fall 1995
“Hay qué rica!” “Hay qué rica!” The cry of a vendor selling almonds in the center of Malaga is as defined in my memory as any postcard or souvenir in my scrapbook. The vendor was stationed a block from the window of my Spanish home. Although the message was meant to convey the quality of his product, the repetition of his words also provides the theme music for my experience abroad in Malaga in the fall of 1995.
Ten years have passed and I continue to look at my semester in Malaga as a pivotal experience in my life. In 1995, I was a senior at Dickinson as I made my way to Malaga. By studying abroad, I had expected to improve my Spanish, make some new friends, and have a stamp in my passport; what I gained was all of that and more. As I rolled my luggage through El Centro in Malaga on my first day, I knew I was not in Carlisle anymore!
My Spanish mother, Carmen Sanchez Conejo, met me at her door with a hug and two kisses. What a wonderful greeting! After three flights of stairs, I found my room, unpacked, and prepared to meet Malaga. And meet Malaga I did. From the “Bienvenidos” and “Adiós” parties at El Pimpi, classes near the Cathedral and then at the new “Center,” and flamenco lessons with Ana Soto, to October days at the beach in El Palo (watch out for stray dogs!), shopping at Corte Inglés, and bus rides to my class at Teatinos, Malaga had much to share.
Early in the semester, I was side-lined by an illness which resulted in a 9 day stay at the Parque San Antonio Hospital. Dickinson students, faculty and my host family demonstrated care and concern through visits and overnight stays. I recovered from my illness and was able to explore Spain with my classmates. Excursions to Nerja, Frigiliana, Granada, Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Cordoba, and Sevilla offered new adventures in the Spanish way of life.
Some of my favorite memories are the every day events of my life in Malaga. These include watching my Spanish mother cook tortilla, meeting Doug T. and Betsy in El Centro, dancing with Lori, Jack and Allison F., and enjoying sardines and sangria at a moraga. These events have provided me with a scrapbook of memories, an emotional connection to Spain, and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Hay qué rica!
Joanna Castro '98 Academic Year 1996-1997
What made my Málaga experience a memorable one…
I don’t know where to begin. All I know is that Málaga was one of my first eye-opening experiences into what the real world was all about. I arrived not knowing much about a group I was going to share a year of experiences and left with wonderful friends, great memories and a better understanding of myself.
When I applied to the Málaga Program, my idea was to stay one semester and get a feel for what the old continent had to offer. I had lived 9 years in Caracas, Venezuela. However, my first couple of days in the capital of the “Sunny Coast” were quite humbling. I had spoken Spanish since childhood. My parents made it a point that both my sister and I speak Spanish to our father and English to our mother; thus communicating with them in their respective native tongues. However, Caracas and Málaga were very far apart; physically as well as linguistically. The base was there but that was pretty much it.
During the first couples of days, between the jet-lag and my lack of understanding of the nuances of the language, made it a challenge. As time went by, it proved to be life lesson number one: speaking a language was only the first step. Thus, you need to immerse yourself in the culture and only then, will you enjoy the experience so much more. This was life lesson number two.
Indeed, as the days and weeks went by, it got easier and it actually became fun. By mid-October, my gut asked: why go home in December when you can stay until the following May. The question was easy and so was the solution. I went to Prof. Jarvis´s apartment and gave her the news. She gladly concurred and we happily celebrated with some cava (Spanish champagne). As I later found out, she always had some cava in her fridge for emergency purposes. And so came life lesson number three: always have good wine or cava at hand- celebrations come when you least expect them and might as well enjoy them with something tasty.
So, my horizon kept expanding. In addition, classes on Spanish culture, art and history blended to near perfection with our school field-trips. By the end of the year, we covered almost all of Spain thanks to our monthly expeditions. They were special on two fronts: we got a chance to build a family away from home, share many-a-laugh and build deep friendships. On the more intimate level, I began to see more clearly something my mom had tried to ingrain in me from an early age and thus leading to life lesson number four: do something you love; life is too short to be stuck doing a job you don’t like. Professor Jarvis was a great example of that. She exhaled fun and learning all in one breath.
However, when May rolled around, a bitter-sweet moment had arrived. It was time to return home. Part of me was extremely happy to see my family again but another part of me wanted to stay. I still remember sitting on the plane back to Washington, looking over Malaga’s mountain range and thinking that I didn’t want it to end. I had found part of myself that was missing in US culture. So, two years later, I embarked in another adventure of sorts. This time, I would try life in Málaga as a Dickinson graduate. Five years later, I am still living in Spain and following my love of art as a graduate student at the University Carlos III of Madrid.
Joy Welsh '98
Academic Year 1996-1997
Recuerdos de Málaga
De vez en cuando, me imagino caminando por el paseo marítimo que se une los los barrios desde el Palo hasta el centro propio de Málaga. Lo me traía una cierta tranquilidad en particular durante la mañana antes de que empezara toda la actividad de la ciudad. Los turistas todavia no habían llegado por un día en la playa. Aunque el cielo sugería el azul inmenso que era tan típico de Andalucía, el sol no estaba muy alto. Los montes de Málaga me parecían lejos en la distancia. Las olas mediterráneas se caían suavemente por la orilla. Los sonidos de cháchara entre los malagueños estaban presente al fondo, mientras que abrían los cafes. Había una fragancia ligera del jazmín. Para levantarme temprano y caminar por el paseo era un pasatiempo favorito mío. Así comenzaban muchas mañanas. Me representaban los principios del día que ofrecieron muchas posibilidades.
De verdad, tengo una nostalgia inmensa por la ciudad. Simplemente, echo de menos la vida cotidiana. A menudo pienso en el centro de Málaga con sus edificios y calles familiares, como la catedral que tiene tan grandiosidad, la fuente bonita de la Plaza de la Constitución, la alcazaba antigua de otra época que se siente encima de la montaña, y el Paseo del Parque donde uno se ecuentra las paradas del autobús abajo de las hojas de palmera. En este sitio vive una gente española de hospitalidad cordial, patrimonio orgulloso, y cocina sabrosa. Revivo en mis pensamientos las charlas con la señora con quien yo vivía. Echo de menos sus cuentos y su cocina. Cada hora de comer era un tiempo sagrado en la casa para ella y para los otros estudiantes extranjeros que vivían allí porque compartimos la conversación y la buena comida. Ella nos diría sus recuerdos de la juventud o trozos de noticias mundiales mientras que nosotros le compartimos los acontecimientos del día.
El año me parecía como una clase abierta porque siempre había algo nuevo. Al llegar a Málaga, yo tenía una aprensión del desconocido a causa de saber muy poco de la cultura. Sin embargo, poco a poco, día por día, el desconocido de vivir en España parecía transformarse a una vida muy familiar. Recuerdo las clases de profesora Grace Jarvis, quien era directora durante ese año. Hablábamos de la importancia para ver cada encuentro como algo para aprender. Ella nos recomendó que habláramos tanto como posible desde nuestras familias malagueñas hasta los dependientes para acostumbarnos a la lengua. Hay que ser flexible, mirar al año en el extranjero con los ojos abiertos y sumergirse en la vida cotidiana. Además, cuando uno está lejos de la familiaridad de su propio país, se puede aprender de sí mismo como norteamericano y estadounidense.
Poder compartir la experiencia de vivir en España con los compañeros de clase de Dickinson era igualmente importante. Creo que nos aprendemos de nuestras experiencias y formamos una conexión muy fuerte. Tampoco nunca olvidaré los viajes de Dickinson afuera de Málaga a las ciudades y los pueblos españoles por autobús para aprender la historia, el arte y la arquitectura de un país increíble. Las horas en el autobús eran tan inolvidables, cantando las canciones folklóricas con Manolo, escuchando al sonido de la guitarra y mirando al paisaje de los olivos.
El año en Málaga no me dio una sola experiencia, sino muchas que contribuyeron a grandes lecciones de vida. Cuando llegué a la ciudad, yo tenía muy poca comprensión del gran efecto que tendría el año tan enormemente en mi vida. Sin embargo, cuando me despedí de España, yo tenía un punto de vista más claro de otra cultura, otro idioma y otra gente. Además, yo había formado muchas amistades que me quedan importantes, gracias al año en el extranjero. Echo de menos el año en Málaga, pero me alegre que la experiencia era una parte de mi vida, y está relacionada a la persona quien soy. Como el principio del día caminando por el mar y pensando de las posibilidades del día, me doy cuenta que el mundo está lleno de muchas oportunidades y hay que aprovechar.
Keri Marino ‘02
Academic Year 2000-2001
One of the reasons why I decided to study at Dickinson College was because of the great study abroad opportunities that it has for its students. Studying in Malaga was without a doubt the best experience of my life. I had originally only signed up to study the fall semester so I could be back in time for softball season in the spring. That all changed come October when I knew I wanted to stay the full nine months. Staying the whole academic year gave me the opportunity to improve my Spanish even more. It allowed me have an internship second semester and travel with the group to more places throughout Spain and Portugal. What this experience also gave me and to that I am very grateful is that it allowed me more time to meet new people and build lasting friendships that I still have today. The family I lived with was so open and so caring and treated me like the daughter they never had. Whether it was watching ‘Pasapalabra’ on television or going out to eat to a ‘venta’ in the mountains, they always made time for me and treated me as one of their own. Needless to say, saying goodbye to them in May was very difficult.
My experiences in Malaga were so incredible and left such an impact on me that after graduating from Dickinson in May of 2002, I went back to Malaga and lived and worked there for another two years. In those two years I went back to visit the family I lived with numerous times. While eating paella, we talked about our current lives as well as reminisced about the good old days. I kept in touch with my ‘tutor’ from the Wednesday night ‘tutorias’ with the Dickinson program and to this day he is one of my best friends.
Since coming back to the states in June of 2004, I have gone back to Malaga twice and I know there will be more trips to come. What can I say, I’m addicted.
I am currently teaching Spanish at a private school in New Jersey and my students are well aware of my “Spain obsession.”
Una de las razones por las que decidí estudiar en Dickinson fue por las grandes oportunidades de estudiar en el extranjero que ofrecía a sus alumnos. Sin duda, mi decisión de estudiar en Málaga fue la mejor experiencia de mi vida. Al principio, solo iba a estudiar el primer semestre en Málaga porque quería volver para jugar al ‘softball’ en la primavera. Pero, después de estar solo un mes en Málaga, sabia que quería quedarme los nueve meses. El hecho de quedarme el año escolar, me dio la oportunidad de mejorar mi español más aun. Me permitió tener una practica en una guarderia durante el segundo semestre y también viajar más por España y Portugal con el grupo. Siempre estaré muy agradecida por la oportunidad que me dio Dickinson en Málaga a conocer a más gente nueva y tener grandes amistades que aun tengo hoy en día. La familia con quien viví era muy abierta y muy cariñosa. Me trataban como si fuera su hija. Siempre veíamos ‘Pasapalabra’ en la tele o también íbamos a comer en una venta de los montes. Siempre tenían tiempo para estar conmigo y tratarme como otra persona de su familia. No hace falta decirlo pero despedirme de ellos en mayo fue muy difícil.
Mis experiencias en Málaga eran tan increíbles y dejaron un impacto tan grande en mi vida que después de graduarme de Dickinson en mayo del 2002, volví a Málaga y trabajé durante dos años. En esos dos años volví a visitar a mi familia española mucho. Mientras comíamos paella, hablábamos de nuestras vidas actuales y también de los recuerdos tan bonitos que tuvimos juntos. También durante esos dos años, mantenía mi amistad con el tutor que tenia de las tutorías de Dickinson. Hoy en día, él sigue siendo uno de mis mejores amigos.
Desde que volví a los Estados Unidos en junio del 2004, he ido a Málaga dos veces y se que va a haber mas viajes en el futuro. ¿Qué le puedo decir? Soy adicta a Málaga.
Actualmente soy profesora de español en un colegio privado de New Jersey. Mis alumnos saben muy bien mi “obsesión” con España.
Imágenes / Images
